I Don’t Know How She Does It: Mothers & Their Checklists

April 20, 2016

Have you seen the movie ‘I Don’t Know How She Does It’ which stars Sarah Jessica Parker? In this mommy flick, she plays a busy career woman who juggles tirelessly between her high-flying job and her husband and kids.

How does she do it?

Checklists! Mental checklists, even. There’s this scene of her in bed, going manic over her to-do lists, mostly comprising of family affairs and household chores.

Manic is absolutely the word for it.

It’s not easy being a mother. There’s always multiple things to do, and all at once. For me, I compartmentalise my tasks by a default provision that my baby is always PRIORITY.

Not too long ago, my baby had her first outing (apart from the hospital scheduled visits). Going to the mall with our baby for the first time was exciting for my husband and I.

But it wasn’t easy.

To wing it as a mother you need to be quick, systematic, efficient and READY. From that first outing alone, I’ve laid out a checklist of things to do beforehand for smoother outings in the time to come.

1. Identify the location of the nursing/feeding room at the mall, etc.

Here’s the one at KLCC:

The entrance to a spacious section dedicated for parents with babies and toddlers at KLCC, located next to Maybank.

Diaper-changing Area

Nursing Area

2. If possible, identify as well parking space that is closest to a lift facility as it’s stroller-friendly.

3. Ensure that the diaper bag is packed with the needed items and check whether anything needs to be replenished.

4. Bring along at least one bottle of expressed breastmilk (EBM)/formula milk. EBM that has been thawed and warmed after being removed from the refrigerator/freezer can last up to 4 hours if kept in room temperature. A bottle of EBM can be warmed up just before departure (and kept in a bottle pouch to retain heat) so that within the next 4 hours, the baby can be fed without any delay. This will definitely be of good use if the baby gets fussy.

5. List out the items that need to be purchased so you can estimate the amount of time required for the outing.

What about fulfilling mommy’s needs to shop for things that are not on the list? Mommy needs to pull a fast one for this one by seizing the opportunity whenever it comes. I guess the skill will be acquired through time. 😉

6. This isn’t a necessity but I’ve made ready a pocket holder organiser in the car that’s tied at the back of the co-driver’s seat. I envision this to come in handy if and when I need to change my baby’s diaper in the car. I’ve filled it with a few diapers, wet wipes and washcloths. Rather than reaching for the diaper bag, these things will be reachable at just an arm’s length.

In theory, I’ve got this amazing list. Let’s see how effective it will be on my next outing with the baby. Til the next entry!